The Beginning
by AriaAlways
Summary: A story of how the world of Avatar came into being, and the discovery of bending the elements.
1. Chapter 1

Thousands upon thousands of years ago, in the spirit world, two spirits were fighting. They had fought long and hard, and finally the other spirits banished them to this realm. If they were to be allowed to return to the spirit world, they must prove that they could work together to create something good, and keep it alive. The first spirit's name was Karna. He became the sun, because men are strong, proud and destructive, but they can also be fast, graceful, and protective. The second spirit's name was Tui. She became the moon, because women are calm, peaceful, and beautiful, but woe betide anyone who angers them or hurts the ones they love. Together Karna and Tui created the world. But it was not the world as it is today. It was merely a twisting, shapeless, formless thing. Still, Karna and Tui were happy that they had created something together, and they named the world Erma.

Soon, the spirit of the universe, Akash, came over the world, and breathed on her. She grew and changed, no longer twisting and writhing into strange shapes, but becoming round and spinning slowly around, dancing eternally with Akash. It is said he has fathered many worlds like this.

Erma then gave birth to the four elements. First there came De, the earth. He became a hard covering around his mother, because as he was eldest, it was his duty to protect his family. Next there came Agni, the fire. Her mother held her next to her under her brother De, but Agni was spirited and found cracks in her brother's surface, because she wanted to see what was outside.

Third there came Innana, the air. She too escaped her brother's hold and danced around him, but she was in no threat of being caught, as nothing could hold her. Agni peeked through De's surface, and wanted to join her sister in her dance, but when she did, flames leapt off her and burned parts of the earth. Agni, afraid of hurting her brother, stopped dancing and retreated back underneath his surface. However she forgot about the fires burning.

Last there came La, the water. He flowed over the surface of his brother and put out Agni's fires. She apologised to De, and he forgave her, saying she could leave his protection if she promised to always be careful. She promised, and for a long time Agni, Innana and La danced together, their brother De keeping time for them and their mother Erma watching proudly.

Thus Erma and her children had made the world, and they then proceeded to create animals and plants to inhabit the world. Erma told her children to each give a gift to one beast. De was fond of the badgermoles, who tunnelled out their homes in his great mountains. He taught them to move the earth easily.

Agni loved flying with the dragons, so she showed them how to breathe fire, drawing power from her grandfather, Karna, the sun, who loved her and protected her.

Innana wanted to teach a beast to fly, but a beast that was different from those that could already fly, the dragons and the birds. She therefore taught the bisons, renaming them sky bisons.

La, however, who was still very young, was too busy playing with his grandmother, the moon, Tui, who he adored. Together they would push and pull the oceans of the world. One day whilst he was playing, a seal with an injured tail was washed upon the shore. La was very sad for the poor seal, who was in great pain. He begged his grandmother to help the seal. Tui, who knew La had not given a gift to the beasts yet, showed him how to use water to heal the injuries. La was very happy that he could give a gift to the world as well, and healed as much as he could.

Erma also gave a gift – the gift of manipulating energy. She gave it to the Lion Turtles, noblest and wisest of all the creatures, knowing that they would never use this gift against her or her world.

For five hundred years the world lived thus. One day Erma decided that she wanted to create more beings to inhabit the world, beings that would look after the world, and be part of the four elements. De created shapes out of the earth, La mixed water with them so they could move, Agni filled them with a passion for learning and loving, and Innana breathed wisdom and life into them. So the first people came to exist, on an island in the middle of the world, called Median, which has since sunk to the bottom of the ocean, never to return lest Erma asks De to bring it back. The Lion Turtles taught energy bending to a few of the humans, those whom they trusted and knew would not use it for wickedness.


	2. Chapter 2

A long time passed. The people were happy and lived in harmony with the world and the animals. One day, a badly made raft washed up on the shore near the village where the people lived. On the raft were four brothers and sisters. They could not remember where they had come from, or how they had reached the island of Median. They only remembered their names. They helped the people of the village make a house for them to live in, and they were soon accepted by them. Their arrival, however, caused some of the people to wonder if there were other villages on land across the seas. This began man's love of exploration and discovery.

The four brothers and sisters lived happily in their house. The eldest was called Panuk. He farmed the land around their house, producing wonderful fruits and vegetables for his family and for the other villagers as well.

The elder sister was called Oriev. She usually stayed in the house, keeping it warm and comfortable for her family and visitors. When she did occasionally go hunting, she always brought back good game and cooked it perfectly.

The younger sister was called Falis. She was intelligent, and often discussed with the elders of the village, amazing them with her insight. She was also a talented acrobat, swinging through trees and over rooftops as if she were flying.

The youngest was called Reaz. When he was old enough he became a fisherman. He would sometimes be away for a week or more. The other villagers would always look forward to his return, because he always had a good catch. Reaz also knew which herbs and plants would help with illnesses and ailments.

The four siblings grew up and married, going their separate ways, but always remaining close. They each had several children, and it is with Panuk's eldest son, Erit, that the story of bending the elements begins.

When Erit was ten years old, he went to his father and told him a story of how he had been exploring near a mountain and seen some badgermoles digging a tunnel with touching the earth that was being moved. Panuk told him that badgermoles had always been able to move the earth that way. Erit ask his father whether people could move the earth like that as well. Panuk said to him 'Tomorrow we will go to the badgermoles and ask them if they will teach you.'

The next day they left early in the morning, heading towards the mountain where Erit had seen the badgermoles. When they arrived at the entrance to the tunnel, there was a badgermole waiting there for them. Erit explained why they had come and what he wanted to learn from the badgermoles. The badgermole did not move. Erit went on to say he would be a perfect student and always do what the badgermoles asked of him. Still the badgermole did not make a sound. Desperate, Erit vowed to never use anything he learned to hurt anyone. At this, Panuk said quietly, 'He tells nothing but the truth.' The badgermole nodded, and took Erit to learn earthbending. When he had learnt all the badgermoles had to teach him, he went back to his home and taught his brother and sisters as well, making them promise to never hurt anyone with their talents. Panuk watched them proudly, the first earthbenders.

The same thing happened with Oriev's son, Fazhu, who learnt firebending from the dragons, and Falis' son, Arim, who learnt airbending from the sky bisons. They taught their brothers and sisters too.

Reaz's son, Waroda, watched his cousins helping the village with their earthbending, firebending and airbending, and went to his father and said 'I wish to help the village like my cousins. How can I learn something different?' So the next evening, Reaz took Waroda out in his fishing boat to a small island. There he told Waroda to learn from the moon how she pushed and pulled the water to make tides.

And so it was that people learnt to bend each of the elements. Each nation is descended from one of the four brothers and sisters. The people of the island of Median soon began to explore the seas around their island, and found the lands we now inhabit today.


End file.
